With most of the country's farms having now virtually turned into grasslands because of very little production taking place on the properties ever since the land reforms in 2000, such an opportunity to turn the abundant grass into money has been most welcome.

 

With Matabeleland experiencing serious food and pasture shortages, the grass flourishing on the country's farms has become handy.

 

Somabhula, situated 20 kilometres from Gweru, is endowed with grasslands and was one of the areas that produced some of the country's finest cattle before the land reform programme.

 

But what is now left is just the sweet grass for the cattle, which some of the new farmers are now slashing and bailing for sale.

 

Vincent Mhanga, who inherited Gabbles Farm from his late father, has invested thousands into the hay business after realising that the venture was lucrative.

 

Mhanga makes US$160 per tonne of hay after selling a bail for US$2.

 

While, initially farmers would harvest the hay to feed their own cattle during the dry season and sell the excess, it is now serious business because the cattle herd has greatly diminished in the area, which now requires major restocking.

 

Mhanga harvests seven tonnes of hay per hectare and has since purchased a seven-tonne UD truck from hay proceeds.

 

"Now I have equipment to help other farmers who want to sell their hay to wildlife agents, cattle ranchers and those who do poultry," he said, denying that agriculture had failed in Somabhula.

 

"We are supporting our agriculture through home grown solutions. I harvest over 40 tonnes of maize every year," added Mhanga.

 

Another A2 farmer, Mary Masoka of Pleasant View Farm, also in Somabhula, has ventured into the seemingly lucrative business as well. She sells thatching grass, a business she says has proved worthwhile in difficult times.

 

Masoka earns a dollar per three bundles of thatching grass.

 

"My husband was retrenched a long time ago, so selling thatching grass is now our source of livelihood. We have a lot of grass in stock and we hope to finish it before the rainy season begins," Masoka told the Financial Gazette.

 

The A2 farmer, who owns a 50 hectare plot, has not been producing enough food crops over the years due to successive droughts.

 

Triphine Dube, of Browns Farm, painted a gloomy picture for the 2015/16 farming season, saying the rains were likely to come late and therefore they would continue depending on selling hay.

 

"We shall continue to do our hay business because it sustains us with the little we get. Rains are likely not to come as early as expected and this will worsen our plight," said Dube.

 

The new farmers have continued to rely on rain-fed agriculture for many years after being resettled in the area. This is despite the fact that the rainy seasons have become highly unpredictable.

 

Zimbabwe currently requires 1,7 million metric tonnes of staple maize to cover its current food deficit occasioned by poor rains last season.

 

Although bailing has become a profitable business in Somabhula, farmers are also using the venture to reduce veld fires in the area, which was prone to sporadic outbreaks of veld fires during dry seasons.

 

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has trained farmers in hay bailing and grass cutting techniques to help them combat veld fires.

 

This training came at the right time.

 

EMA provincial spokesperson Timothy Nyoka, said: "Hay bailing is one of the methods we encourage farmers to reduce the amount of grass in the area. Somabhula is a grassland country, which makes it vulnerable to wild fires. We have not had any fatalities this year due to our increased efforts in educating farmers about the dangers of veld fires and how to combat the spread of such fires."

Source : allafrica.com